Champion of Order
by Zenith Nadir
Summary: "Each event is preceded by Prophecy. But without the Hero, there is no Event." Zurin Arctus, the Underking. Two decades after the Dragonborn saved the whole of Nirn from Alduin and subsequent destruction, a new Hero is born, with a patron never seen on Nirn since before the rise of mortals. This story will follow the Champion of Jyggalag and the dawn of Order.
1. Chapter 1

_**"Each event is preceded by Prophecy.**_

_**But without the Hero, there is no Event."**_

_Zurin Arctus, the Underking_

* * *

"_Tamriel has seen its fair share of disasters, tragedies, glorious times, and stalemates, but order is brought upon this land by Heroes. These Heroes are not those august icons that people tell legends about for years to come, but rather common men, who have been chosen, regardless of their previous status, to be champions by a divine source. Many times this divine source are those who are known as Aedra, the good gods. Even less common is complex otherworldly beings, such as Padomay, or Aur. Lastly come the Daedra, the widely recognized, but widely feared puppeteers of the plane of existence called Nirn. Daedra see to it that their champions cause change, whether good or bad, in their name, and many times with their blessings and artifacts. Nirn hasn't seen a Daedric, "Hero," since the times of the Nerevarine who has since passed on, assimilated into common society, or, if the old rumour is to be believed, moved onto Akavir for a different kind of adventure. I, unlike my fellow princes, besides the young Sheogorath, had the privilege of having a different outlook on the world for some time, and, unlike Sheogorath, this outlook was perpendicular to my previous understanding. Now that I returned to my previous sphere and purpose, I've been left with some time in my planes, and those of some others, to contemplate my next move, and how to change Nirn in a way that had me somewhat accepted again. A thing that I've taken note of is that I can't look at the world the same way I used to, I don't feel complete want to force my sphere upon the mortals, rather now I wish to change the world, in the name of my sphere, but not with games or coercion, but with a proposition, made to my future champion..."_

* * *

The night's cold in the bitter region called Jerall Mountains was unmatched in this fugitive's lifetime. It, along with remembering to run, keep alive, and avoid the trees that were so abundant was all this man could think of, and at that point, it was all that was important. What led up to this was paltry and the calls for a yield from the men behind him, along with the sound of their apparel clinging, mattered not, and as the man returned to reality he realised he could see a lone cabin hall of some kind ahead, a fact that exalted him and made him gain the energy to sprint to it. He could see, as he approached it, that it looked abandoned, but it was still in good condition. What intrigued him about it was its peculiar structure; what he thought at first was ice crystals or snow, turned out to be some kind of foreign crystal, which poked out of the structure and was unkept. He rushed through the already open, but thankfully still hinged, door and closed it behind him, relaxing for a moment before realising he still wasn't safe.

Finally he took in the landscape around him. There was an obelisk of some kind and a shrine-like altar, made of the same crystal-like substance. This man, while not being a pious man, and neither being the one to beg, made his way to the altar after blocking the door with a chair. This obelisk seemed to call to him, promising solace from the previous storm, but better yet, a place in the events to come. He placed his hands on the altar, by his own volition, not by some unnatural force, mind you. Suddenly he wasn't in the Jerall Mountains anymore, neither was he in any familiar plane of existence to him, it seemed to be comprised solely of that unnatural crystal and seems to be never-ending.

He was brought out of his daze by a commanding voice, one that sought his voice and displayed experience beyond his comprehension. The voice said, "It's been a long time since I've seen a mortal, not to mention one so new to the landscape around him. Pleased to meet you, I am Jyggalag, Daedric Prince of Order, and I have a proposition for you, if you will."

* * *

**There's my first Elder Scrolls fanfiction, and I've never actually finished making my own fanfiction so I really hope to finish this one. The current problems I got is, getting the text to be more spaced out and less of big paragraph, some of the problem will resolve with more dialogue, but I digress, and the other problem is getting a more natural dialogue and getting from this plot setting and intro to an actual fluent fanfiction, because I'm more of a essay writer then a imaginative authour, but I've read tons of fanfiction, and I've wanted so badly to actually get one out there, but I'm so critical of myself. Feel free to ask questions, of which I will try to answer to the best of my ability, and feedback is welcomed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Order is Heaven's first law; and this confess,**

**Some are and must be greater than the rest.**

**Alexander Pope, _An Essay on Man_ (1733-34), Epistle IV, line 49.**

* * *

The guest to Jyggalag's stared at the daedric prince, after hearing what he said, and seeing his structure and stance. At this point he was sure he couldn't remember anything of his past life, it all seems a blur now. In fact, he couldn't even remember his own name, something that chilled him, and so the first thing to come out of his mouth was, "Who am I?"

Jyggalag augustly and patiently answered, "That is trivial my guest, all that matters to me, and right now, to you, is whether you will hear my proposition out. Who you will become, which should also be paramount, is also centered around your decision, so best be to it, if you will."

The guest was still confused, but was somewhat calmed by Jyggalag's confidence in the situation, and in the guest himself. The guest paused, and answered, "If choosing to hear you out will give me an idea of any fate I can choose, I will do so with eagerness."

Jyggalag smirked knowingly, "I am delighted you will hear my out. My proposition is one concerning your fate, as well as the world's, and as such I think you will relish the knowledge of it. So it is as follows, I've decided my absence in the fate of the world is not something I wish, and while I do not wish mortals ill will, I do wish to combat the influence of certain individuals, particularly divines and daedra. Most Daedric Princes are unaware of my presence, as they tried banishing me to a fate worse than death many ages before the dawn of man. While I would relish the look upon their face if they were to find me alive and in good health, I prefer to control from the shadows, using a proxy. You are who I wish to be a proxy, as your status in life prior to my intervention was pitiful and my use of you as a Champion won't cut off previous changes in Nirn's fate, however it will bring my influence upon Nirn, and hopefully will at least give me fair ground to combat my fellow divines in influence. This stems from the fact that Daedric Princes are of change, in one way or another, I however hold a sphere of influence that could be considered very Anuic, and that is where my power comes from. As such, that, added on to...recent revelations, had made me consider fighting off Daedric influence and somewhat allying with Aedra. To put in layman's terms my view is as such, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' While I did used to see mortals as very inferior, and still do to some degree, I'm willing to beseech one to bring about a change that only a Champion could do, a fact that was also brought about with recent 'revelations'"

Jyggalag paused to let the guest collect his thoughts and continued, "Will you my Champion. Will you bring about that change, one of which will change the face of Nirn for ages to come?"

The guest was still processing all of this information, the size of which was more than he ever had to process, and yet he still felt compelled to answer Jyggalag in agreement. He did so, "I am honored to accept a paramount role in the fate of Nirn, and I will serve under your sphere will the spirit of Order."

Jyggalag exclaimed in a commanding manner, "Then I bestow upon you my blessing and titles. You will now be sent back to Nirn with a Knight of Order, or daedric servants to me. This Knight of Order will answer any question you have and will direct you to where you are needed, and occasionally give you objectives that I request. Good luck my Champion and may you bring about that change this tormented world so desperately needs.

The Champion, or Knight, what you may call him, suddenly felt the conditions of life of Nirn return, and felt a commanding presence beside him. He turned and saw the Knight of Order, of which his lord mentioned, who looked quite like a human-size version of Jyggalag. This Knight helped the Champion up, and proclaimed, "I am to be an ambassador of sorts to my lord Jyggalag unto you, and I am to direct you and answer any pressing questions you may have."

The Champion thought he might as well try to get this answer once more, "Would it be too much to ask who I am?"

The Knight answered this in a knowing manner, "You are Jyggalg's Champion, a mortal who is of the Cryo-Nordic race and will grow to exhibit qualities of which Jyggalag personifies: The innate desire to bring Order, chivalry, a thirst for knowledge before actions, and, among other things, a commanding presence."

The Champion nodded, and felt like he already knew these things, but to hear them still comforted him, and affirmed one thing that has nagged his mind, his name was trivial, though his position and title was not.

The door suddenly gave way to the efforts of the men who were pursuing the Champion, and they threw the door that supported the door. The vigilante-like character who seemed to be the leader walked forward and exclaimed, "You bastard, you've earned much more than imprisonment now Imperial!"

The Knight walked out of the shadows he occupied and raised his swords, "You dare bring about punishment, unto vassals of Jyggalag's Order? You will pay for this horrendous deed!"

The leader was in a state of misbelief seeing before his a daedra that he has never seen before, and had his guard down. The Knight took advantage of this and pulled his into his blade and pierced his stomach. At this point the rest realised the threat the Knight posed and tried to gain the upper hand. This was a futile effort for the Knight had cunning wit of a warrior and knew every counter-attack he could pull. Soon the rest were dispatched or running for their lives.

The Knight said without turning, "This is the change you are to bring about this world, you must cleanse this world of false order and once you establish true order chaos will soon die out."

The Champion asked a question that plagued his mind, "Does this false order include entire governments? One that are widely recognized?"

The Knight answered, "Of course, sometimes the worse chaos comes from those unworthy to claim it."

The Champion nodded and said in a melancholy manner, "Well we best get to it..."

The pair traveled in a mutually beneficial silence to Bruma, which was the closest city, and from there decided to sleep in an inn using what money the Champion had left. There they were to plan out their objectives and how to get any substantial force if any attack on a political body was necessary, which it ultimately would be. Before planning actually happened the Champion requested to sleep to be at his tip-top shape, and also to further absorb his role.

A, rare, bright sunny day shine light into the room in which the Champion and Knight slept and the Champion awoke with silent hesitance and went to buy food. When he returned the Knight was sitting in the exact same spot it sat prior to him sleeping. That in mind, the Champion hesitantly sat in the adjacent chair and ate the food he bought.

After eating the Knight asked, "Are you ready to plan out objectives? Or is there any personal objectives you'd like noted beforehand?"

The Champion silently shook his head and urged the Knight to narrate objectives.

"You are to build a shrine to Jyggalag, as so many have done to their respective daedric princes, and put the peculiar offering of a Imperial Sword, from there after receiving an audience with Jyggalag, you will receive the proper tools to create an Obelisk of Order, which creates Knights of Order, which are require for any political change to happen without supporting a government which bring too much chaos. Any other specifics will be revealed when appropriate."

The Champion asked, "Where are we to get an Imperial sword if I haven't the money?"

The Knight answered, "From what I have been told, the Empire has strived away from the spirit of true Order it once held, as such the act of murdering an Imperial guard is insignificant in the eyes of our lord, and if you are not caught it is even less significant in the eyes of the government as well."

The Champion nodded morosely, understanding that such acts would be necessary to bring about Order in a world so corrupt with foreign influence, and as such went to outside the gates and planned out a tactic of luring a guard out to kill, silently and without consequences.

The Champion called out hidden in brush, and out of the guard's view, "Help! A mage just killed an Imperial Scout!"

The alert guard snapped to attention and told the other guard to cover his post, and fell for the bait. Just as he was entering the brush the Knight, hidden behind him, drove his blade through his head before the guard could notice. After pushing the body off the blade, the Knight picked his Imperial blade up and passed it to the Champion.

The Champion suddenly realised something and asked the Knight, "What are we to make the shrine of?"

The Knight answered without so much as a pause, "We must make our way to Sheogorath's Shrine, for he is the only Daedric Prince who's met Jyggalag in person since his return, and has certain, affiliations with our lord, despite having a sphere which directly opposes Jyggalag's, and if certain offers are made he will give us the materials to make such a shrine."

The Champion responded, "We must travel to Bravil at once, which is, without horses, over a day's trip, we should make haste."

**So, that's the second chapter for my first Elder Scrolls fanfic. I think I'm somewhat proud of myself, although I still think my style is a bit choppier, than I'd like, but it is one of my first tries, so I guess that's expected. As usual, any questions are welcomed and any feedback is lovely. I'll try to manage between longer chapters and faster publishing speeds, as right now my chapters are still somewhat on the short time. Looking back on this after uploading it to Doc Manager makes me realise it is shorter than I'd like, but I'll try to slowly increase the length of Chapters, but this is still setting up for bigger plot points. Thank you for reading, and I hope you liked this chapter.**


	3. The Thread of Prophecy is severed

**I'm really sorry to anyone who favorited my fanfic or followed me or my fanfic, I know how several people have been excited by one of the few Jyggalag fanfics, and I was too. Nevertheless, my work and stress from several activities to which I participate in have become a bigger portion of my life and work, as is expected as time goes on in school. As I already have stress, this just piles onto it, and I've come to realise that I probably won't be able to post chapters every week, but I'll try to get some in when I have free-time. When a break or holiday comes along I will attempt to deviate some of my time to writing another chapter. So I guess this story won't see a clean build-up of chapters, but as this is my first fanfic, I'll do my best. Thanks to my readers, my condolences, and goodbye.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry that I've been taking some time, and that I wasn't even using it to work on the chapter, I've just been busy with some other work and I didn't want to do a incompetent job on this.**

**"We have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again." ~ Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776).**

* * *

The trip to Bravil was tenuous, not simply because of the lack of any common comforts, but also because of the stoic-ness the daedric Knight projected. He simply lacked any emotion and didn't seem to understand any point in conversation, besides questions, answers, and proclamations. While the Champion certainly wasn't a significant extrovert he definitely missed having something to occupy his time on the road, even if the last time he was on the road was being chased by vigilantes.

The Champion was brought out of his stupour by the Knight proclaiming quite bluntly, "We have arrived."

The Champion looked at the gates of Bravil, seeing the poverty of the town, but also at the influence neighboring provinces had on the town. Carrying on, the Knight and Champion went through Bravil and finally made their way to Sheogorath's altar.

A Dunmer "priest" approached them and asked them and said, after a bit a of words that neither the Champion nor the Knight could make out, "Welcome to the Grove of Madness stranger," along with some other rubbish. The Knight was clearly irritated and asked in a forced calm manner, "What does you 'lord' require as an offering?"

The Dunmer seemed to ponder for a moment in an exaggerated manner, "Well it's not raining. He loves the rain. And for an offering. I think a lesser soul gem, a head of lettuce, and some yarn will do the trick. Yes. Although it won't work, because it's not raining."

The duo sighed and were irritated at the Dunmer's repetitiveness and happiness despite their despair. Nevertheless, the Knight turned and said, "Well while we wait for it to rain we should go and collect the items required for the offering."

The Champion nodded, and so they went back to Bravil for once more to collect the assorted items. Before entering the city, they snatched up lettuce in a farm that was badly overseen. Upon entering the city people either choose to ignore the Knight's unusual appearance, or passed it off as some new armour. Either way, the two made their way to the local College of Whispers "outpost." Sadly, the Mage's Guild had dissolved shortly after the Oblivion Crisis after people accused them as being involved with the Oblivion Crisis, and to top that off their Arch-Mage, a renowned and elusive character, just disappeared shortly after the Oblivion Crisis, and went down in history as a tragic hero, one who rose to be presented titles, and then left when his guilds needed him most. Either way, after the said guild dissolved, two splinter organizations were formed, the Synod, and the College of Whispers, and they fought constantly for the support of the Elder Council and were both known to participate in shady acts. As part of their constant struggle for influence, the College of Whispers provided some outposts in the Imperial cities, mostly to spread their influence, but also to provide mages with materials. The College's outposts were better for materials, because they were known to participate in Necromancy, but also were more akin to Telvanni independent mages, versus the political involvement the Synod had. As was such, the Champion and the Knight bought a lesser soul gem from one.

* * *

**There will be a noticeable difference in the rest of the story, I just now picked up my quill after a very long hiatus. My idea originally may be altered, but hopefully after failed proofreading and reading stories that contrast my own I will now have a more affluent participation in this story. As much as I'd love to edit my previous chapters, I don't really even know if I can do that at this point. Also I think I've decided that as much as I'd love to improve on my dialogue-making, sometimes a writer should only do what they are good at and not try to force themselves to do something that is unnatural. As such I will be making this into a "Les Miserables"-like story, that is to say less dialogue and more philosophical brooding This isn't to say I'll avoid dialogue altogether, but I will try to do what is more comfortable. If a volunteer would be willing to offer to edit, or even help me with the story, I would be much obliged, but I still think it would be too much of a burden for many... This is an awkward place to end the chapter, but I'd rather not make a chapter that starts with one form of writing, and end with a different form.**


	5. Chapter 4

_**"**__**To put everything in balance is good, **_

_**to put everything in harmony is better.**__**"**_

_Victor Hugo_, Quatre-vingt-treize _(Ninety-Three) (1874), Book VII, Chapter V_

* * *

After the Champion and the Knight had purchased a lesser soul gem, and found yarn in an abandoned basket, they ventured back to the "Grove of Madness," thankfully with rain this time.

Upon reaching the Grove of Madness the Champion found the Dunmer priest just where he left him. Although the Dunmer started his nonsensical speech once more, the Champion and Knight ignored him and went to straight to the altar, placing the materials upon it and touching the stone.

After several seconds of silence the Champion angrily smashed the materials upon the altar, which awoke Sheogorath.

Sheogorath yawned and exclaimed, "Ah Jyggalag's mortal champion comes with his pet crystal, what a hoot! Of all the things I expect to be awoken by, like dogs falling out of the sky...or Haskill being bathed in hot cheese, this is quite the surprise!"

The Knight barked back, "Sheogorath we have no time for your 'pleasantries!' We have come to request material to build Jyggalag an altar, on his behalf!"

Sheogorath pouted, "Ah its no fun with you Knights of Order! It's just 'GIVE US THAT' and 'WE DEMAND THIS!' Where's the livelihood in your kind? As for the materials, I have them right here! Just remember to tell 'ole Jyggalag that he now owes me double!"

Just then a chest full of Hearts of Order, quarried stones, clay, and various other materials appeared in front of the altar, and with Sheogorath's presence vanished. The Knight grunted and picked up the chest. This action confused the Champion, who had more than enough space on his person to carry such materials, but he choose not to question the daedra's decision.

The duo continued on in silence, and decided to avoid cities, in order to further avoid any conflicts.

This was a mundane affair for the most part, but upon passing Bravil the Champion started to feel his eye twitch and his body started to feel unstable, and thus he started to keel over. The Knight started to take notice, and diligently put down the chest, took out a Heart of Order, and fed the Heart of Order to the Champion.

After the Champion's condition slowed down, he praised the Knight and thanked him. Despite this the Knight wordlessly took the chest back up and continued on. After sitting in shock for a few moments, the Champion retook his position next to the Knight.

This silence continued on until the Champion finally broke it, "Do you have any idea what happened back there?"

The Knight kept his eyes forwarded, but replied, "Order of the mind is hard to maintain, especially for a petty mortal such as yourself. Your body was trying to reject the change, but being fed Order in its solid form shut it up."

This revelation made the Champion ponder his quest. Was it really his duty to do such a thing? Did he really want to die for a cause he barely had took up only after being coerced by the presence of a Daedric Prince?

The Champion let his thoughts and eyes wander until they came upon the Niben River beside him. In those water he saw the desperation he had in his eyes when he placed his hands upon Jyggalag's altar. The reflection scared him, as his eyes appeared to the colour of ice.

The Knight noticed the Champion's lack of hastiness and asked, "Why do you brood on such trivial matters? You are a mortal, your kind barely makes a mark on the world individually! You should be grateful you are given an opportunity to do something good for once instead of viciously destroying the world and feeding Mehrunes Dagon!"

The Champion was shocked by the Knight's speech and was silent for a minute. They stood still staring into each other's eyes before finally the Champion replied, "You daedra can never understand the burden of mortality! Your kind can be as wasteful with their lives as they please! You have no drive to make a difference besides what proclamation your Prince makes! Us mortals drive to be perfect, you daedra drive only to please your lord via entertainment and enjoyment! To be coerced into bending my knee for a Daedric Prince my kind has never seen is a tragedy for me! I even bet your lord was the one who made me forget my past life too!"

The Knight, in his rage, put his right hand around the Champion neck and exclaimed, "PETTY MORTAL, HOW DARE YOU SMEAR YOUR VICIOUS SLANDER UPON MY LORD'S NAME! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES!"

The Knight then dunked the Champion into the Niben River and continued to strangle him. The Champion soon felt his life-force slowly deplete and as he ran out of air he blacked-out.

* * *

**Cliffhanger eh? Yeah I think when I started this story I was way too caught up in making the story as complex as possible, that I forgot to make the story organic too. I also have decided to make the conflict of the main character, and the Knight, a much bigger part of the plot. This will hopefully make the story much more interesting along the way, and this will help me build a better composite character, similar to how Elder Scrolls allows you to make seemingly-organic composite characters. The next chapter will definitely be longer, I just wanted to suspend people with a cliffhanger...**


	6. Chapter 5

"_**Ira furor brevis est: animum rege: qui nisi paret imperat.**_

**Anger is momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you."**

**Horace, **_**Epistles**_**, I. 2. 62.**

* * *

The Champion slowly opened his eyes, but closed then abruptly upon seeing strong light reflected. The Champion eventually opened his eyes slowly and took note of his surroundings.

It appeared he was in some kind of crystal room, with crystals that obviously were the kind Jyggalag used. Upon further inspection, he noticed a crystal path out of the room. The Champion, who was eager to get out of this sterile room, followed the path. The path led him to a bigger room, which seemed to be some kind of throne room. Upon the throne sat Jyggalag himself.

Jyggalag appeared almost bored, and was currently resting his head on his palm. Jyggalag continued tapping his crystalline fingers on his throne's right arm before exclaiming with no emotion, "So you come to my realm before my shrine is even built..."

The Champion replied, "I was doing as you asked, and I had just gotten the materials for your shrine when I got into an argu—"

Jyggalag interrupted him, "I CARE LITTLE OF YOUR LITTLE FRAY WITH MY KNIGHT! I SIMPLY QUESTION WHY YOU LET YOURSELF GET DROWNED WITH LITTLE RESISTANCE?"

The Champion was visibly shaken and responded carefully, "I was shocked Jy...I mean my lord, I did not expect to be attacked by the Knight and I certainly did not expect to be drowned..."

Jyggalag responded sardonically, "Ah yes, you were not ready because you were too busy questioning your loyalty and planning deceit"

The Champion replied, "That is not the whole truth my lord! I admit that I was questioning my loyalty, but I never dared to plan deceit!"

Jyggalag broke his stoic demeanor and sprung up from his throne with a enraged look and exclaimed, "I SAVED YOUR PETTY SOUL FROM DEATH'S DOOR AND YOU REPAY ME WITH SLOTHFULNESS? I MIGHT AS WELL LEFT YOU TO DIE WHEN MY KNIGHT TRIED TO KILL YOU!"

Jyggalag paced back and forth and slowly said, "Do you know why I saved your paltry life when I simply could have gotten another mortal to do my task for me? It's not because of any pity...No I have not a single crystal of mercy in my body! I saved you because you are destined to be my Champion and I won't let your profligate actions ruin my plan! You will go back to Nirn and continue on your quest whether your mind agrees with your heart or not!"

If the Champion was shaken before, he was downright convulsing now, but Jyggalag did not wait for him to recover and sent him back to Nirn.

* * *

The Knight stood several feet away from the Champion, and was currently looking out upon the Niben River. The Champion still had water in his lungs, and had to hack and cough for several minutes before he was fit to get up. During this time, the Knight either did not acknowledge the Champion's presence, or was deliberately ignoring his turmoil.

The Champion finally got enough breath to say, "So...shall we continue on or are we going to talk about this?"

The Knight grunted and picked up the chest, and went along walking to the North. The Champion sighed and soon caught up.

They continued in agonizing silence until they reached Weye, where the sun had finally set and they both subconsciously decided to rest. They set up a camp outside of the town and the Knight kept watch.

After many tossing and turning, the Champion finally fell to sleep, where he was met with peculiar dreams...

* * *

The Champion appeared to be in some kind of madman's throne room, where he saw a silent chamberlain off to the side, a confident adventurer, and Sheogorath himself.

The Adventurer walked up to Sheogorath who then greeted him with a peculiar speech: "_Time. Time is an artificial construct. An arbitrary system based on the idea that events occur in a linear direction at all times. Always forward, never back. Is the concept of time correct? Is time relevant? It matters not. One way or another, I fear that our time has run out. As I feared it would, My plan has failed. The Greymarch is upon us, and I must go. I thought we had more time. I thought we had a chance. My plan has failed. And we were so close..."_

The Adventurer asked what was to happen, and Sheogorath replied once more, "_What happens is what always has happened - what always will happen. I crumble, I fade, the Realm dies. And you with it." _

The Adventurer seemed shocked and told Sheogorath that he had not failed, to which Sheogorath smiled and replied, "_Optimism! How adorable! I love it! Even at the end, you make me laugh. I'm lying. That wasn't funny at all. No matter. Soon you and everyone else will be dead, and I will be left a mad god, ruler of a dead realm. Again."_

The Adventurer determination seemed to finally be waning, but he still asked Sheogorath, who was presently getting up, what he could do, and Sheogorath replied: "_I had intended to give you My staff, the symbol of My office. But life has gone from it, as it goes from Me. It is now dead wood. A useless twig. With the staff, there was hope. But now, hope is dead. I am dead. The Realm..."_

Sheogorath stopped short and transformed, in an elaborate manner, into Jyggalag, and exclaimed, "_The realm is dead! Sheogorath is dead! All shall crumble before Jyggalag!"_

* * *

The Champion then awoke with a start and took a few moments to calm himself down before he got up.

The Knight exclaimed, "We must make haste to the building site. Our plan requires that we finish building the shrine before sunset."

* * *

**There's another chapter, done and sealed. I hope you like the change I've made to the mood of the story. I would appreciate reviews and comments! If there's anything you'd like to point out, feel free to do so! **


	7. Chapter 6

"_**And so, as they kept coming together in greater numbers into one place, finding themselves naturally gifted beyond the other animals in not being obliged to walk with faces to the ground, but upright and gazing upon the splendor of the starry firmament, and also in being able to do with ease whatever they chose with their hands and fingers, they began... to construct shelters."**_

**Vitruvius, **_**De Architectura**_** (ca. 20 BC) Bk.2, Chp.1, Sec.2, p.38**

* * *

During the journey the Champion found his thoughts blissful, in the sense that he was not bored, but also disconcerting. He pondered why he had dreams about Sheogorath and Jyggalag, and also he was not aware who that other Adventurer was. He seemed very familiar, but also distant in the past. Was this revelation a prophecy that had already unfolded, or was this simply the workings of an idle mind, burdened with recent trials?

The Champion shook his head and decided to try to ignore such thoughts for the rest of the journey. The Champion found himself observing the surrounding area, which had changed from the lowland landscape of the Heartlands to the woodland biome of the Great Forest.

They appeared to be very close to their destination, and, as if to confirm the Champion's suspicions, the Knight proclaimed that, "We are very close to where the Jerall Mountains meets the Great Forest. When we arrive there we will go about constructing Jyggalag's shrine."

The Champion nodded and picked up the pace, as he was eager to break the current tension. Finally, the duo stopped at the foot of the Jerall Mountains and set about constructing the shrine. This was done with absolute silence, only broken by an occasional demand. The Knight took strength-based roles, like chopping down the trees and moving the quarried stone, whereas the Champion went about constructing the altar itself.

These were no small tasks, and the pedestal alone took until twilight. The Knight required no sleep, however the Champion was not imbued with such immunity and thus had to sate his sleep depravation. The Knight had little to no ability when it came to the intricate details in sculpture-making, and had to stop working while the Champion slept.

* * *

The Champion was not blessed with blissful dreams this night and found himself in a extravagant courtyard with two opposing flames or cyan and orange. There seemed to be a duel going on between the Adventurer, that he had seen before, and Sheogorath-turned-Jyggalag.

Jyggalag shouted such things as, "_Another of Sheogorath's foolish schemes,", "Are you the best the Madgod could muster?", and "This is what the Madgod sends against me?" _

The Adventurer on the other hand stayed eerily silent, as if he was detached from the world, but still he fought with great ferocity. After a great deal of swordsmanship, the Adventurer slew Jyggalag and Jyggalag's spirit left his body and his disembodied, phantasmal head departed with many words: "_Enough! I am beaten. The Greymarch is ended. For millennia this drama has unfolded, and each time, I have conquered this land, only to be transformed back into that gibbering fool, Sheogorath. It was not always so. Once, I ruled this Realm, a world of perfect Order. My dominion expanded across the seas of Oblivion with each passing era. The other Princes, fearful of my power, cursed me with Madness, doomed me to live as Sheogorath, a broken soul reigning in a broken land. Once each era, I was allowed my true form, conquering this world anew. And each time I did, the curse was renewed, damning me to exist as Sheogorath. Now, though, you have ended the cycle. You now hold the mantle of madness, and Jyggalag is free to roam the voids of Oblivion once more. I will take my leave, and you will remain here, mortal. Mortal...? King? God? It seems uncertain. This Realm is yours. Perhaps you will grow to your station. Fare thee well, Sheogorath, Prince of Madness. "_

After the fight the Adventurer seemed even more detached and sported a wide grin and seemed to be in a Schadenfreude mood. After standing still for a while, the Adventurer turned to the Champion and stared at him.

* * *

The Champion awoke with a start and shook his head. These dreams were definitely not natural, and seemed to be artificially placed...

The Champion went out into the Great Forest to hunt some game and brooded over his recent dream. That Adventurer's grin eerily resembled the grin that Sheogorath had sported in the Champion's first dream, as well as the grin that Sheogorath's statue had...This couldn't possibly mean that the Adventurer had turned into Sheogorath...could it?

The Champion ate the meat of the deer he hunted and pondered this question, but couldn't come to a decisive answer. Thus he kept his mind busy by making Jyggalag's statue by memory and by using the Knight as a model. He knew he didn't have to make the sculpture perfect, in fact many of the faults would probably be rectified when it was activated, however the Champion wished to make it as best he could in the limited time provided.

After many grueling hours and one short meal, the Champion found himself standing in front of a rough model of Jyggalag, complete with a Heart of Order in its torso. The Champion wiped his brow and looked admirably upon his work, but then remembered the plan.

The Champion placed his Imperial Sword upon the shrine, kneeled down, and put his two palms upon the altar. For a few tenuous moments, this did nothing. However the Champion was suddenly filled with conviction and recited the following verse:

"O Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince whose wisdom begotten not from Hermaeus Mora, but from Order itself, we pray to thee. O Jyggalag, whose brothers did betrayeth thee and condemn thee to the foulest of role, we pray to thee. O Prince of Order, who had to destroy thine creation repeatedly until the Adventurer did usurpeth your shackles, we pray to thee! Prince of Order, lendeth this altar your power, so I can createth your conduit of Order! O Jyggalag, we pray to thee!"

After such a lengthy request, Jyggalag finally activated the shrine and proclaimed, "My Champion, you have fulfilled your first task. Now you are to build an Obelisk of Order next to this shrine, made of the Heart of Order who have and my own Knight's healthy Heart. Do not worry, he will easily be recreated by the Obelisk. Now go and don't disappoint me, My Champion..."

The Champion whispered a simple, "Yes my lord," and turned to the still stoic Knight. With absolutely no hesitation the Champion took the Imperial Sword, which oddly had not disappeared, and grabbed the Knight's back with his free hand, and viciously drove his sword right next to the Heart. The Champion then used the hole to take the still semi-healthy Heart.

The Champion stood there in shock and was visibly shaken by his sudden action. He felt as if he lost control of his movements all of a sudden, and was doing that involuntarily. The Champion suddenly deflated and collapsed into a sitting position upon the ground.

The Champion brooded over what he had just done, but realised that he must continue on. With slow movements the Champion began to pile the Hearts of Order in front of the Shrine, with the Knight's Heart in the center. Upon making a sufficiently high obelisk-like pile, the Champion chanted the verse from before, voluntarily now, and jabbed the Imperial Sword through the pile.

Immediately the sword felt very cold to the touch, and it seemed that within two second the cold had stuck the Champion's hand to the handle. After the Champion had shaken off his surprise at the sudden change, he tried prying his hands off of the handle, but to no use. After several moments of nothing happening, the cold sword started to freeze the rest of the pile.

Soon enough the pile froze into one sculpture and then the sculpture seemed to be suddenly imbued with energy. Finally the Champion was able to pry his hands off of the frostbite-inducing handle, but upon witnessing symbols upon his palms, he blacked out.

* * *

**Well there's another day's worth of story for the lot. I was looking back at the pre-hiatus chapters, and I tried making the best balance I could between the organic attitude of Chapter 2, and the formality of Chapter 5. This is what came about that, and I think I'm pretty confident in this. I'm going to admit right now, even though I have some of the ending planned out...much of this is simply improvisation. That "improvisation" was what made Ch. 4 pretty disorganized, but its also what made these two recent chapters great, in my opinion. I'm going to take after David Lynch and his Twin Peak and keep going with Improvisation...Besides, I get way too burdened with details if I go to much into planning. **


	8. Chapter 7

"_**Sanity is madness put to good uses; **_

_**waking life is a dream controlled."**_

**George Santayana, **_**Interpretations of Poetry and Religion**_** (1900)**

* * *

The Champion opened his eyes slowly, but upon realising this was a dream he quickly checked if he was material or not. The Champion was relieved to find himself material, unlike those previous couple of dreams.

The Champion laid content with the fact that those dreams were over, before he felt the odd sense that someone was watching him. The Champion sprung to his feet and observed his surroundings.

It appeared that he was on top of some kind of ruined shrine, with water around him and a series of pillars. However, upon turning his head more, he noticed a altar and a head resembling that of Sheogorath upon it...with Sheogorath himself beside it.

The Champion was suddenly shocked by the last observation, and quickly got into a defensive stance and questioned Sheogorath: "Why have you brought me here Sheogorath, and what do you want?"

The Daedric Prince laughed and replied, "What is it with Jyggalag's underlings and rudeness, I thought you would have at least had some pleasantries up your sleeves!"

The Champion barked back, "Sheogorath! I have no time for your nonsensical antics...Just tell me why you brought me here!"

Sheogorath nodded with a pouty look and replied, "Fine! I thought you would have already realised that I was the one giving you these past dreams, not Jyggalag."

The Champion was knocked out of his reverie for a moment, but soon barked back with dwindling confidence, "Why have you imparted such revelations unto me? Were they even true events, or did you just make them up?"

Sheogorath erupted into laughter and eventually said, "No you foolish mortal, they were as true events. Have you not figured out that I am an Adventurer like you? Do you not understand the emphatic link between us?"

The Champion was shocked once more with a hard blow. Was Sheogorath, the new Sheogorath, truly the Adventurer he had seen in his dreams?

Sheogorath did not wait for an answer and exclaimed, "You see...you must understand your place in this game mortal! You are a pawn in a game full of queens! You may have been conferred the title of the Champion of Order, but the other Daedric Princes won't be too happy. They will try to make you betray Jyggalag, and join their ranks. I will take no part in their attempts, because I was once mortal like you. Now you must resist the basest of temptations, and do as your lord asks."

The Champion finally spoke, "Why are you telling me to oppose you...why are you so lenient when it comes to Jyggalag's plan?"

Sheogorath let out a bellowing laugh, "Mortal, this day has been foretold in prophecy since the day of Jyggalag's banishment! I have no place in altering the works of fate, for fate was what brought me to this position of power to begin with! Besides, I have more than Madness in me too, and I don't want to see Nirn die out. It needs some Order to sate its hunger, lest all beast, men, and mer die out and I would be left with no new souls to torment..."

Sheogorath looked to the sky and left the Champion with a, "Don't disappoint us mortal. The Daedric Princes all expect a Champion, and you better live up to their expectations..."

* * *

The Champion awoke gradually...oddly enough. Maybe it was the change of revelations to simple conversations, or maybe it was simply Order keeping him stoic. Either way the Champion soon arose to observe his surroundings.

It appeared that the obelisk did in fact activate, and that he was now surrounding by a dozen Knights of Order. Despite having the power to attack any profligate settlement near them, the Knights were apparently awaiting an order from the Champion.

The Champion stood in front of the Knights of Order and realised, that despite his previous euphoria, he still had no idea what he was to do with the Knights of Order. So he placed his sword upon the altar and tried contacting Jyggalag again.

This time, possibly become the Obelisk was a focal point of Order, Jyggalag answered quite aptly, "Before Nirn is ready to be put into Order, you must tear down their false idols. You must infiltrate remnant factions and destroy them from the inside out. Destroy the Aedra's presence in Cyrodiil, but don't worry about the rest of Tamriel for now...Bringing pure Order to Cyrodiil will make it easy to spread throughout Tamriel without total war."

The Champion wanted to ask which factions to infiltrate first, but he decided that he would rather avoid being berated, so he replied, "Yes my lord, I will do as you ask."

Jyggalag responded, "Good. The closer to Order you follow, the more Order will provide you."

The Champion decided to start by infiltrating the two magic guilds: The Synod, which held more power politically, and the College of Whispers, which had found many dark secrets, and withheld them from anyone who was not in their guild. He was near Bruma and therefore could attempt to join the College of Whispers, if they had an outpost there.

Before the Champion had walked two steps, one of the Knights behind him said, somewhat sneerily, "Jyggalag insists one of us follow you, in order to aptly remove any threats that may plague you."

The Champion nodded and kept walking, which the former Knight took as a confirmation and thus he walked by his side.

This new duo was just as silent as the previous, and the Champion still felt the increased power of Order in his veins. His abilities were definitely still mediocre, but he felt a stronger willpower and determination than ever before. The Champion had found his purpose...his key...

The journey to Bruma did not take as long as the Champion expected, but he was not one to complain. The Empire's hold on Bruma had not been strengthened at all since the Oblivion Crisis, in fact, Bruma had become more and more foreign to Cyrodiil since the Oblivion Crisis, and some Nords in the town even considered themselves citizens of Skyrim, not Cyrodiil. It was easy to see why, any traces of Imperial identity in Bruma was nowhere to be found, and it was as Nordic as any settlement in Skyrim.

The Champion continued on to search for the College of Whispers' insignia, like the one he had seen back in Bravil, and found an intact outpost surrounding by suspiciously burnt buildings.

* * *

**Ah well...there ya' go another Chapter out while I'm still on a roll. I'm not really sure if I'm happy with how Sheogorath's speech came out, but I have some reasons behind his somewhat lenient attitude, if you didn't get the hints. Sheogorath is the protagonist of Oblivion, if that wasn't made clear, but despite his new Daedric identity, he did not simply forget his previous experiences, and still has other feelings besides those contained in his sphere. If there's any things you wish for me to clarify, please do leave a comment. Goodbye!**


	9. Chapter 8

**"A polis is not an association for residents on a common site, or for the sake of preventing mutual injustice and easing exchange. The end and purpose of a polis is the good life, and the institutions of social life are means to that end."**

**Aristotle, ****_The Politics_**

* * *

Upon entering the College of Whispers outpost the Champion was not surprised with the very peculiar atmosphere inside. To start off, the College of Whispers did put a great deal of focus on necromancy, and Daedric-related magic, and thus were reclusive.

They had this peculiar atmosphere where even a layman could tell that dark things were happening underneath all the etiquette, yet visitors still were coerced by the threat of unnatural death and by extension disappearance from the outside world, and possibly Nirn all together, forever.

The woman at the "welcome" desk—which was only established to divert people's curiosity from the College's inner works—was visibly surprised to see a Knight of order, since no-one had even seen them in Nirn, but somewhat successfully hid her enthusiasm and greeted the Champion.

The Champion inquired, "If one were to be interested in joining the College of Whispers, how would that person go about entering?"

The woman answered, "One would have to show prowess in the art of Conjugation, and by extension Necromancy and summoning and binding Daedra."

The Champion inquired further, "To whom would I direct my prowess?"

The woman replied absentmindedly, "The community... The prerequisites may seem vague and possibly demanding, but the College of Whispers is not like the Synod. We don't want mages who can cast a simple illusion spell and control politicians, we want mages who show the potential to harness Magicka and Life themselves."

The Champion nodded, because afterall it made some sort of sense, but the nobleness of their social mission had no place in Jyggalag's Nirn, and thus the Champion had to make haste.

The Champion conferred with the Knight for a while, in which they formulated a plan. It would be improbable for the Champion to acquire talents in magic, that wasn't something you developed over night after all, so he would try to intrigue the College of Whispers with the Knight, and a Heart of Order.

The Champion went back to the greeting lady and said, "What if I was to say that this Daedroth beside me was a completely new discovery, and that he owed loyalty to a Daedric Prince that no one knew anything about? Adding onto that, what if I was to say I also had the Heart of one of these Knights, made of material no one knew anything about?"

The woman seemed positively intrigued by now and said, "Well I'll go and call my superiors...Then maybe we can come to some kind of barter..."

Placing Order unto this plane would not be without trials of course. The Champion knew this, but no Mortal, or anyone in general, could possess the same deductive reasoning as Jyggalag. Thus Mortals, with their insatiable curiosity and lack of pure Order would jump at any chance to possess Jyggalag's infinite knowledge of past and future history. There was so much of that only Jyggalag knew that divulging a small sliver of information to mortals, whose structure would be destroyed later anyway, would be a small price to pay for the betterment of Jyggalag's cause.

The woman came back with a High Eld who seemed to have many years under his belt, as well as several scribes and a few councilmen. The High Eld said, "Well, would you like to explain to us what you have found worthy of time?"

The Champion grinned and explained, "This is a Knight of Order. He serves the Daedric Prince of logical Order and deduction. This Daedric Prince never had a chance to set foot on Nirn because his immense power caused him to be betrayed by the other Daedric Princes."

The crowd seemed extremely astonished and the High Elf asked, "Well what is this Daedric Prince's name? What did the other Daedric Princes do to him in their betrayal?"

The Champion grin slowly degraded and he said, "I am not at liberty to say."

The High Elf looked befuddled and asked, "Why would you go about explaining all of that information and attempt to enter our ranks, if you can't even reveal some of the key points in this story?"

The Champion got suddenly serious and said, "In order to obtain such information I had to bind my soul to this Daedric Prince. You of all people should know the dangers of disobeying a Daedric Prince, especially one of this caliber. Besides, even if I wanted to say such information, I wouldn't be able to because of the binding."

The High Elf seemed to ponder this information for a while and finally said, "I must confer with my councilmen on this information..."

The Champion exclaimed before the council went away: "If you wish for more evidence to support this uniqueness of this Daedroth, here is the Heart of one."

The Champion passed a Heart of Order to the councilmen, who nodded and scuttled to the next room. The Champion was required to wait for a while, but eventually the Council came back into room.

The High Elf exclaimed, "While we would much rather prefer that you would reveal all the loose end of this story, we do acknowledge some sort of legitimacy to your claim. Thus we we accept you as an...Apprentice."

The Champion bowed and the High Elf continued, "Here is the key to the local quarters. You should speak with any of your superiors for tasks, or check the community wall for tasks and menial labor..."

The Champion took the key and went into the quarters. It appeared that the mages in the College of Whispers were quite independent, except when they needed test subjects, and thus they were not for formalities. The Champion paid no mind and went into an available room and laid down. It seemed that he needed to get back into a normal sleep schedule because when he passed out at the Obelisk it had not even past sunset. Thus the Champion rested his weary eyes, and succumbed to the tugging of sleep.

* * *

It appeared that was on the second story of the wall surrounding the palace he had witnessed in his second dream. This time there seemed to be no frays going on and no crystalline remnants of Jyggalag's Greymarch.

A familiar voice spoke up next to him, "The realms of Daedra to have a certain...appeal to mortals don't they?"

The Champion turned and found Sheogorath leaning on the bannister and replied, "Why do you continue to torment my dreams despite having no stake in my fate?"

Sheogorath replied without turning, "You didn't answer my question...but I'll answer yours anyway. I told you before Mortal, I do have a stake in your fate. Your fulfillment of the prophecy foretold is something that has been pushed along far too long."

The Champion went to emulate Sheogorath and leaned on the bannister to, but not without asking, "Why do you speak about fate as if it is something set in stone, but also something that can be altered?"

Sheogorath replied, "What are the layers of the land but things that can be altered until you reach the unbreakable core? The time, setting, and background of the Event are trivial, but the Prophecy itself will be fulfilled...That's how things work the high up you work yourself Mortal."

The Champion asked, "But what is the Prophecy? Is Jyggalag's dominion to last, or is it only to be temporary? Where are these Prophecies inscribed?"

Sheogorath seemed to get dark all of a sudden and replied, "Jyggalag himself understands that his dominion won't last. It may be mostly absolute, but it won't be permanent. He's the Prince of Deduction, he understands. These Prophecies are foretold in the Elder Scrolls, something way above the power of even Anu or Padomay. These Elder Scrolls were what made me a Daedric Lord, what made the Eternal Champion save the Empire, what made the Dovahkiin eliminate Alduin, and so on and so on...They most likely have more events recorded in them than Jyggalag's archives...yet the very few parts that can be understood are only for bigger prophecies..."

The Champion suddenly felt very encumbered with all this information, and the burden of fate upon his shoulders. Despite this, he has one last question before he was ready to depart: "Sheogorath, why are you so uncharacteristically cold? This is not becoming of the Prince of Madness..."

Sheogorath chuckled and said cryptically, "These times of great turmoil really bring out the Mortal in me. These times make even the most powerful of forces feel as if they are at the whim of fate..."

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter, as always. I'd like to explain a few things...One, I'm trying to keep this character not overpowered at all, so if he seems uncharacteristically overpowered too soon, do tell. Second, I'd like to make sure that everyone understands that, in this case, Daedroth is singular for Daedra, so I'm not talking about the huge dinosaur creature from Oblivion. Lastly, even though I explain it many times, how I plan out Sheogorath may not be completely canon...but then again in the Dovahkiin's time Alduin's dominion was not personally linked to him as much as Jyggalag's dominion over Tamriel will. Sheogorath is somewhat mortal and somewhat Daedric...so yeah. I just finished a 12-episode series on Justice by Michael Sandel, so I'm trying to apply ethics and morals to this story without making it too hard to understand. Think "Allegory of the Cave," but a more complicated and having more plotline...**


End file.
